Denture valve construction



Feb 1936. M. M. RUBINSTEIN 'DENTURE VALVE CONSTRUCTION Filed May 8', 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1%! fan lffiubmsm r ATTOR N EY Feb, 4, 1936. M M. RUBWSTEIN 2,029,945

DENTURE VALVE CONSTRUCTION Filed May 8, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [ff/[0n ff Fab/7251MB INVENTOR ATTO R N EY Patented Feb. 4, 1936 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to artificial dentures and more particularly to an improved form of construction of the valve element required in socalled palateless dentures wherein the principle of suction or vacuum is employed to effect the maximum adherence of the denture to the wearers gums.

It has been the endeavor of dental authorities to reduce the area of contact of the denture tothat of the wearers mouth to a minimum so as to insure maximum comfort to the wearer. The fulfilment of this endeavor has created new problems, particularly that providing a satisfactory valve which would function to vent the air from and thus create a vacuum in the suction chamber constructed in a denture of the palateless type. This valve must be of a design which will function in conditions. prevailing in the oral cavity, such as the presence of small particles of food.

It is the object of my invention to provide a valve which will fulfil all of the above requirements, the design of which will permit its opening at the application of a minimum of suction in the oral cavity to vent the air and create a 25 vacuum in the vacuum chamber of the denture, which valve will readily close to seal this vacuum at the cessation of suction.

A further object of my invention is to provide a casing for this valve, the contour of which will facilitate its placement in the denture during construction of same.

The invention will be fully and comprehensively understood from a consideration of the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings which form part of the application, with the understanding, however, that the improvement is capable of extended application and is not confined to the exact showing of the drawings nor to the precise construction described and, therefore, such changes and modifications may be made therein as do not affect the spirit of the invention nor exceed the scope thereof as expressed in the appended claim.

In describing the invention in detail and the particular physical embodiment illustrating the invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters of reference designate corresponding parts thr'uout the several views.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the tooth side of an artificial denture.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section thru the denture.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section thru the denture and valve case.

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation illustrating a stage in the process of making the denture.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section thru the denture, showing the valve in place.

Fig. 6 is a transverse section thru the valve and case, showing the valve closed.

Fig. 7 is similar to Fig. 6 with the valve open; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective View of the valve in juxtaposition to the case.

Referring to the drawings for a more detailed description thereof, numeral 9 indicates a complete palateless denture or artificial dental plate and comprises a set of false teeth indicated by numeral H3 disposed in proper relation and embedded in a molded composition base II. The lower surface of the base II has a recessed formation I2 formed by walls i3 protruding therefrom and bordering same. The inner contour of the recess l 2 conforms substantially to the shape of the gum tissue of the wearer except that it is further recessed at a portion of its area to provide a vacuum chamber between the denture and the gums. This recess is indicated by numeral I2.

A valve casing I4 is disposed laterally in the base I l between two of the teeth. The drawings illustrate the location of this valve casing M between the molar teeth as the preferred position for same. However, the shape of the valve casing M facilitates its placement at any other portion of the denture. In Fig. 4 is illustrated a stage in the formation process of the denture at which the valve casing Il may be installed. At this stage the anteriors of the teeth are retained in a temporary form or plastic cast l5 preparatory to forming the base I l of the denture. It will be noted here that the posterior portion of the teeth which are to be embedded in the base ll protrude from the cast IS. The adjacent sides of two of the teeth converge toward each other forming a V-shaped recess into which the valve casing is conveniently placed. By the wedge-action of the valve casing I4 between the two adjacent teeth its proper position is maintained independent of any other holding means until the molding of the denture base II is completed. At the completion of the denture a small hole [6 is drilled at the uppermost portion of the recess I2 and thru the lower wall of the valve casing, thus providing a communication between the vacuum chamber and the interior of the valve casing.

The valve casing [4 comprises a three-sided tube, one end of which is closed. The three sides of the tube are positioned relative to each other similar to that of an isosceles triangle. The one side of the tubing which is somewhat larger than the other two sides is disposed substantially parallel to the gum cavity of the denture, in which position, because of its appreciable area and its parallelism to the gum cavity, it permits of some variation for the location of the drilled hole [6.

The valve I1 is composed of a resilient material, such as rubber, and of an exterior contour to conform to the interior of the valve casing. The section of this valve is therefore also of an isosceles triangular shape comprising three walls surrounding an interior chamber l8. This interior chamber is closed at one end by a membrane wall 19 which, because of its thinness, will react similar to a sensitive diaphragm at the application of the slightest diiTerential pressure on either side thereof. The two upper longitudinal walls, indicated by numeral 29, are of substantial thickness as compared with the third longitudinal Wall 2!. This third wall is of a minimum thickness to permit its functioning as a diaphragm similar in reaction to that of the end wall I9. The two upper walls 29 are provided with mounds 22 which engage in like recesses 23 in the valve casing to retain the valve core I! within the casing.

The purpose of the valve I! is to provide an operable seal between the vacuum chamber in the gum cavity of the denture and the oral cavity of the wearer. This valve functions similar to the usual check valve or one way valve when the wearer applies a suction to the denture in order to partially remove the air in the vacuum chamber and thus to create a partial vacuum in said chamber to effect the retention of the denture. When this suction is applied a resultant differential pressure exists on either side of the Wall l9. The greater pressure in the chamber I 8 causes the wall 59 to bulge outwardly. This results in the raising of the diaphragmatic wall 2| out of contact with the hole [6, as shown in Fig. '7. Fig. 5 illustrates in dotted lines this deformation of the valve walls. It will be noted here that this action of the valve permits a clear passage of air from the suction chamber I2 thru the interior of the valve casing I4 and into the oral cavity of the wearer. In this fashion the desired vacuum is created in the vacuum chamber l2, which vacuum is maintained at the cessation of suction by the automatic retraction of the valve Walls into their original positions, the wall 2| being brought into contact with the surrounding area of the hole l6.

What is claimed as new is:

In combination, a denture including a base adapted to fit over the gum, said base having an air passageway for the Withdrawal of air from between the gum and the base, a hollow valve one face of which is an elastic substantially fiat diaphragm normally closing said passageway but adapted to open the same by its responsiveness to a difference in air pressure on its opposite faces created by suction induced by the user.

MILTON M. RUBINS'IEIN. 

